Reflecting On A Key Component In Digital Signage: Glass

Digital signage is evolving quickly, and glass is a key component of this. At a minimum, glass provides safety and security to the installation, but can also add functionality through the use of coating technology. Coatings are used for many purposes, such as reducing distracting reflections from lighting or in the design of smart mirrors. Here’s an overview of some critical glass technologies and how they can be used to maximize the effectiveness of digital signage.

Glass Is Everywhere

Glass is everywhere: The windows in your home and office provide daylight while keeping the sun’s energy out; the glazing on your car windows provides safety, security and functionality. Think about how often you interact with phones and tablets, which use strengthened glass and special coatings to provide touch functionality.

Given this, it is unsurprising that glass is a key component of digital signage, from the display itself to the protective cover glass used in an installation. However, not all glass is equal, and the many different options can make choosing the correct product for an application difficult, particularly given the many environments in which digital signage is deployed. The addition of coatings to the glass surface adds to the range of choices and provides solutions to optimize performance for any digital signage installation.

Our focus here is on the glass used as a protective cover, rather than that used in display manufacture. In this setup, the display is protected, either with a cover glass optically bonded to the front or by placing it in an enclosure and having an air space between the display and cover glass. Both designs have advantages and disadvantages, depending on the installation, but use of an air space seems to be the most common approach in digital signage.